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The Beriev A-60 was a Soviet airborne laser laboratory aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76MD transport.
In the middle of 70's A Special Aviation complex was created at Taganrog machine-building factory by George Dimitrova in order to cater the need of airborne laser. It's job was to solve set of complex(difficult) scientific and technical and engineering problems. In the beginning 80 in the USA under the program of the SOYA was active in development of the laser weapon . The tests were being conducted on a flying laboratory abroad Boeing NKC-135ALL. In 1977 in OKB G.M.Berieva begins creation of flying laboratory designated(1А), the aim was to facilitate research of distribution of beams in the top layers of an atmosphere. Works on this theme were spent in wide cooperation with the enterprises and the scientific organizations of USSR , but basic partner OKB was TSKB "Diamond" which was headed by B.V.Bunkin. Il-76Md was the base plane for creation of flying laboratory. There was a lot of work done on basic Il-76 for accommodation of the special equipment,which have strongly changed appearance of the plane. In front instead of regular nosecone it was fitted with special equipment.On each side a fuselage under obtekatelyami turbogenerators of the unique power supply system which were ensuring the functioning a special complex was placed.Shutters of the cargo hatch have been removed and the hatch was sewn up. It was necessary to finish doors and to abolish forward emergency exits.The problem of accommodation of a laser gun was solved to not and it did not spoil aerodynamics of the base aircraft. The top of a fuselage between a wing and Kiel has been cut out and replaced by the huge shutters consisting of several segments. They were cleaned(removed) inside of a fuselage, and then the turret with a gun upward got out. The first flight of the flying laboratory (1А) was on August, 19th,1981 with crew headed by test pilot E.A.Lakhmostovym.On August, 29th, 1991, the crew led by test pilot V.P.Demyanovskim flew the second flying laboratory which has received the name (1А2) СССР-86879 in air.On her board the new variant of a special complex modified by results of tests lead on (1А) was placed.
[edit] Operators
Soviet Union
[edit] Related content
Related development: Ilyushin Il-76
Comparable aircraft: Boeing YAL-1
Designation sequence (Beriev): A-40 - A-50 - A-60
Designation sequence (Ilyushin): Il-62 - Il-76 - Il-78 - Il-80
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